Errata (MtAw)
Main_Page > Mage: The Awakening This page contains stuff that Bill Bridges has said on the forums to questions. This is not an official errata release and should only be viewed as a rough draft until the official errata is released. It's compiled here for the sake of convienience. Please follow the same format and structure when adding to this page to keep it organized and easy to read. Chapter 1: Arcana Society Q: Are we going to get a clarification on what exactly one's True Name is? A: Well, there are no "true names." Instead, your real name -- that is, the name you were given at birth or by which you were called during your formative years -- has a significant sympathetic tie to you, and so it can be exploited easily. Shadow names and other adopted names don't have the same tie. I assume that you could conceivably raise a child using many different names, not sticking to one long enough to give it a strong sympathetic tie. Besides doing funny things to a kid's psyche, though, there'd still be the name he was first given; that would probably still act as a real name even if he doesn't answer to it (unless another name was used with more frequency during his formative years, in which case that becomes the real name). Chapter 2: Character Character Creation Q: During Char creation, when starting play as an order member, do you get 6 merit dots + Status:Order(*) Or are you free to be a full member (with all benefits) without buying order status? A: You don't have to have Order Status to be a full member. There are certain roles and duties you'll need Status for, if you elect to do them, such as Sentinel, Councilor, etc. But otherwise it’s not required. Q: Can I write an order down on my sheet/be considered part of an order without having a dot in Order Status? A: Yes. Q: Does that get me High Speech? A: Yes. Q: Does that get me Rote Specialties? A: Yes, you do get the Rote Specialties, but no one within the order will teach you rotes unless you have at least one dot of Status. The initial rotes you write on your character sheet are considered incentives the order taught you to lure you in, but they won't let you go farther without a sign of deeper committment. Q: If you quit an order and then, somehow, join another, do you get that Order's rote specialties as well, as soon as you buy a dot in Status (Order)? A: I'd say that you'd probably need Status in your new order before they trust you enough to teach you the Specialties (and you definitately need it before they'll teach you rotes at all). Traits Q: Can you clarify the Wisdom 4 sin 'harming someone with magic'? A: Using magic to 'harm someone' does need a better explanation, I agree. It really means using magic to directly harm someone with intent (accidents don't count). 'Someone' really refers to humans, not werewolves or spirits (or ghosts), although if the mage believes the werewolf is a human (i.e., someone cursed with lycanthropy, rather than a half-human/half-spirit creature), he might suffer degeneration for intentionally and directly inflicting harm with magic. Q: Wisdom 4's "harm to someone" rule. I've heard you mentioned -direct- harm, so directing lighting or electricity from a wall socket doesn't count? What about self-defense? How much damage is harm (bashing/lethal/aggravated), because in the spell casting combat example, no one ever rolls for Wisdom? A: Wisdom degradation only becomes an issue if you're using magic to harm someone maliciously. You can use it out of self-defense or defense of others. You can use it if someone has called you out for a fight and says it's okay (fight to the death, probably). But you can't go around using magic for ill purposes against others without suffering possible Wisdom degradation. Rules for Wisdom/Morality shouldn't be seen as a "letter of the law" kind of thing -- the spirit is what's important here, as it is when discussing most issues involving the humanities rather than science or law. However, this doesn't mean that lack of intent gets you off the hook in all cases -- accidental manslaughter is still something that shakes someone's Morality. Merits Q: What are the XP costs of raising familiars' traits? A: I generally wouldn't allow the familiar to learn new numina, unless there's a very good reason. However, if you must, you'll have to do the hard work of figuring out what dot level to assign a numen based on its relative power compared to a similar spell, and then charge new dots x5. XP cost of raising a material familiar's traits is new dots x5. Although fetches do have some drawbacks (low-level Spirit Arcanum spells have more dramatic effects against them than, say, low-level Life and Mind spells do against material familiars), but...yeah, I'd probably say it costs a fetch new dots x7 to raise Power, Finesse or Resistance. Q: How do you determine the Potency of permanent effects in an Artifact, such as "Ward"? Also, how would you reinforce a ward spell? A: I'm still working on explicating the Merit rules for enchanted items. When you make them during play, it's just like casting a spell. But when you buy them before play as Merits, there does need to be a way to measure Potency, and I just need time to examine that issue and come up with an answer. Q: By comparison to Wolf-Blooded, Sleepwalker seems underpowered, and better rated at 3 than 4. 4 is the intent? A: Sleepwalkers aren't intended to be as, well, important a category as Wolf-Blooded. However, yeah, I'd probably scale the cost back to 3 dots. Or else give Sleepwalkers an Unseen Sense for Awakened magic, which I almost did anyway. So, maybe two versions of the Merit. Magical Tools Q: Could there possibly be examples of Magical Tools that don't require dedication in other categories besides Life tools? A: Yes, as long as they are temporary or get broken/used up during casting. Chapter 3: Magic Spellcasting Q: How do I decide what skill and attribute to roll? A: If it's an improvised spell, it's always Gnosis + the Arcanum used. If it's a rote, it uses the Skill listed, while the Attribute used depends on the choices made by the rote's creator, and then you add the Arcanum used. C: The rotes listed with each spell are simply samples. All the orders have variations of their own on every one of these spells, some rarer than others. That is, you might have to do some networking or grimoire searching to find a spell for, say, the Adamantine Arrow that is common for the Mysterium, and vice versa. Q: If I want to extend the duration of my armor, can I chose to take a -2 modifier to my roll instead of paying the mana? A: You can choose to suffer the penalties listed on p. 119. It'd be -6 to get the same 24 hour Duration, or -2 if you had one-dot higher proficiency with the Arcanum. Q: How can we decide if any effect involving twilight, auras, spirits, the gauntlet, the spirit realm, or any other thing non-existant by the normal (?) rules of physics is vulgar or not according to that, I quote: "Any spell that could occur through the normal laws of physics (page 112)" caveat thingy? A: I hope to have more info on this in the forthcoming Tome of the Mysteries, but that's still a ways off. Generally, effects that affect only Twilight or the Shadow Realm are probably covert, while those that somehow draw either of those states of being into the material realm are probably vulgar. As long as things are kept in their proper place, it's "within the laws of physics." Otherwise, it risks a Paradox. Q: For the fantasia effect in terms of Disbelief. In the example, the Rat turned into an imp, simply reverts back to being a rat.. However in the spell description, it says the Phantasmed animals takes bashing damage from disbelief? Which one is correct? If my players turn a bird into a small dragon and flies over a crowd? Does it turn back into a bird? Or does it drop dead in the crowd? A: You're talking about two spells here. In the case of Fantasia, Disbelief does no damage but can dispel the spell (as per the normal rules for Disbelief). In the case of Fantasia cast in combination with Hereditary Change, affected creatures suffer damage from Disbelief. Q: What happens if I use Fantasia to create a symbiotic limb that attaches itself to my stump? Fantasia is Vulgar, but if I make the limb look JUST LIKE my old one, and do up some stitches or somesuch, does Vulgar suddenly become Covert? Or is it Vulgar with the special case of Disbelief not affecting it? Or do Sleepers somehow see through the disquise of a symbiotic organism mimicing real life? A: Vulgar does not become covert. Unlike in Ascension, a spell's basic aspect (covert or vulgar) is not affected by belief or witnessing. The exception is that sometimes a covert spell can become Improbable, which is sort of an in-between state between covert and vulgar. In the case of Hereditary Change in combination with Fantasia, playing to local beliefs can lower the Sleepers' Disbelief damage roll, but it doesn't affect Paradox in this case. Since Hereditary Change is lasting, it cannot be dispelled by Disbelief (as is the case with the Fantasia spell on its own); instead, unreal creatures suffer damage from Sleeper gaze. General Spell Considerations Q: How is Paradox applied in cases of team castings? A: The leader takes the brunt of it, although the area-effect Paradoxes, like anomalies, affect everyone. Q: In a co-operative spell, who maintains it, the leader? For example, a bunch of Space apprentices work together and erect one big-ass ward, the leader is the one who has it count as one of his active spells? A: Yes, it counts toward the leader's active spells. Q: Oh if anyone else is going to ask about casting times for teamwork spells, I'm guessing that every participant gets to use the time per roll of the leader, making it very useful for a high Gnosis mage to be the leader like it seems to say in the Create Demesne spell. Is that how you would do it Bill? A: Bingo! Q: There's a Forces 4 'Control Weather' Rote of the Free Council whose dicepool is listed as something like Intelligence + (Occult or Science). Later in the description, there's mention of a Mysterium Rote which uses Resolve + Science, with no option to substitute in Occult. Should the dicepools in question be switched around? On that same topic, does every mage always have the option to learn the "vanilla" version of a Rote? That is to say, could a member of the Mysterium with higher Presence than Manipulation choose to learn the Presence + Intimidation version of Word of Woe (which is the default) rather than the Manipulation + Intimidation version (which the Mysterium is noted for having)? Can we anticipate some sort of in-depth look at just how Attributes and Skills relate to the function of a Rote, in general? I.e., a word on how common "alternate" castings of given Rotes are within the same order or some kind of detailed list of what kind of magical tasks different Skills can perform (i.e. Science for exact manipulations of matter or energy, Occult for crude manipulations of matter or energy and manipulation of magic itself, Athletics for directing physical projectiles)? A: The Skill used in a rote is inherent to the effect -- it is meant to mirror the effect as best as possible and cannot be chosen by the rote's creator. He must use the Skill that best represents the effect he's coding. We might be able to squeeze some advice on this into a future book, but the sheer number of combinations are dizzying, and we won't be able to judge by context, which is always best in such cases. The Attribute used is entirely the choice of the rote's creator. The samples listed in the spell descriptions are meant to imply the sorts of Attributes masters of that order probably raise to high levels, and so code into their rotes. The Storyteller can, however, veto use of an Attribute that just seems too out of place for the rote (Dexterity for a mind-reading rote, for instance). The Secrets of the Universe: Arcana Q: How much damage do fraying spells do? A: Depends on the spell. Generally, it'll be one point of damage per success, usually bashing. Q: If a person knows Time 2 and Forces 2, can he cast both shielding rotes on himself and do they both "add up" for protection? A: No, the effects don't stack. The spells are too similar, even though they're cast by different Arcana. See the rules for "Spell Accumulation" on p. 128. "...multiple spells with the same effect on the same target do not 'stack' or accumulate. Only the spell with the highest Potency takes precedence." A spell that provides armor points does not stack with a different spell that provides armor points, regardless of Arcanum. If both spells are cast, they still exist upon the target, but only the highest Potency spell actually has effect. If its Duration expires before the lesser spell, then the lesser spell would take effect upon the greater spell's expiration. Q: But in the book's example, it says that "Another Strength-boosting spell does not stack with the first". It seems to me that Organic Resilience is granting "tissue resilience", the degree of which is measured in armor points. Ephemeral Armor grants, well, Ephemeral Armor, the protection of which is also measured in armor points. Other armor bonuses stack - Uratha natural armor stacks with whatever artificial armor they are wearing. If you put on some reinforced clothing, you would get one more armor on top of your protective spells. A. Try not to parse this stuff so specifically -- this isn't computer code we're writing, but common sense rules guidelines. But if we want to be ultra specific, then we could say that "game rule effects" don't stack, regardless of the magical causes or descriptions of the spells involved. In the example you quote, capitalized Strength refers to a trait, not a general, non-capitalized "strength" that a living organism might have in some aspect of its body. Organic Resilience does strengthen tissue reslilience, but it doesn't add the sort of muscle power that is measured in the Strength trait. The effect of a protective Shielding spell is to protect its wearer, which is defined in the game rules as armor points. As I said earlier, it's the game rules effect you're measuring when determining whether something stacks, not its description of cause. Let me be clear: As per the lexicon definition of "effect" in Mage, p. 21, we're talking about the description of how a spell alters reality, not "effect" as in "what follows after a cause" (as in "cause and effect"). For the spell accumulation rules, we're talking about the game rules effect. Q: If you have multiple shield spells cast on you, of the same dot-strength and duration, which of these takes precedence? The first, by virtue of casting order; or most recent, by virtue of freshness? A: In the case of two equally Potent spells, the caster can choose which of his own spells takes precedence. If he's casting it on someone else who already has that spell, the existing spell takes precedence. Additional effects besides armor can be stacked. So, Ephemeral Armor cast on top of an Organic Resilience spell won't provide extra armor points to the total, but it will provide its armor points against ephemeral attacks (which the Organic Resilience does not protect against). Q: Does the system permit a rote that would give a character an armor rating greater than their dots in the relevant arcanum. For example, can a mage apply additional potency successes to the various shielding rotes to achieve a higher armor rating? A: No. Death Q: Why can you sculpt inanimate ephemera with Death, but not Spirit? Again, a question of theme and concept. A: Spirit is sort of like living ephemera, so many of things that the Arcanum does to spirits (binding, creating fetishes, Shape Spirit, etc.) are the equivalent. In a sense, Death is kind of like a Matter Arcanum for ephemera, while Spirit is kind of like a Life Arcanum for ephemera. C: Atlantean cosmology doesn't see ghosts as alive; there are ephemeral shells left behind by souls. Their animation can be seen sort of like a clockwork mechanism that refuses to wind down. They are, as far as Awakened magic is concerned, "objects." Q: "Touch of the Grave" (Death 2) and "Gossamer Touch" (Spirit 2) both allow you to interact with ghosts and spirits (respectively) on an physical level. "Touch of the Grave" states "The caster cannot damage ghosts", while "Gossamer Touch" reads, ""whether to offer a friendly touch or a closed fist". These spells seem very similiar and the Spirit version seems to suggest that you can strike spirits, although the magic itself cannot harm them. Is that correct and if so, is "Touch of the Grave" the same, allowing you to strike ghosts, but not harm them with magic? Finally, if the above are correct, can weapons and "physical magic" (such as "Thunderbolt") be used with those spells? A: Using those spells, the mage can use his own natural weaponry (fist, kicks, bite) to harm spirits, but the spells do not allow a magical assault by themselves. You can combine them with other spells that do cause harm, however. can't use a knife or a gun without using a spell like Rouse Spirit, to give it an ephemeral presence. Q: Might Death also exorcise just ghosts? It's a common theme of necromancy to do just that. I was more curious as to why they weren't separated. A: Certainly, I can see a Death spell that exorcises just ghosts. Q: Why is Control Ghost vulgar, while Control Spirit is not? The two spells have almost the exact wordings. A: Control Ghost should also be covert. It's vulgar aspect is a mistake. Q: Should the spells Decay (Death 2, p. 137) and Destroy Object (Death 3, p. 139) have their visual descriptions and Aspects swapped, since as it stands the former (vulgar) makes an object more delicate and subject to outside damage, while the latter (covert) destroys objects directly? A: Destroy Object should also be vulgar. It's covert aspect is a mistake. Q: The spell "Slay Own Aura" is listed as Death 5, but it's in amongst all the other Death 4 spells on page 144. Is it misplaced, or should it be Death 4? A: The extra dot is a mistake. It either got in there because the spell was once at 5 dots and then we changed it during development, or there was simply a typing (and proofing) error. So, it's a 4 dot spell. Q: The description of the Death 4 spell Soul Binding (page 144) says a mage can use it to attach a stolen soul to himself, provided he has no soul at the time. However, elsewhere the book says a mage without a soul can't cast spells. What's up with that? A: Ah, yes, a descrepancy in design from when Tremere were not just a legacy. I've been thinking that I need to add a grace period to the soul loss rules, giving mages a slower degradation of powers rather than just instant Sleep. This discrepancy convinces me that I need to make that official. I'd say offhand that a mage who loses his soul loses 1 dot of Gnosis per 24 hours until he has zero, in which case he is a Sleeper until he gets his soul back. He can continue to cast magic as long as he has at least one dot of Gnosis. Of course, the Soul Binding spell could be imbued into an item, allowing a souless mage or Sleeper to cast it and attach a new soul to himself. Q: The sidebar on pg 180 in the Life Arcanum's section states that Death is used for zombies, revenants, ghosts and vampires. But there are no specific examples under Death that deal with vampires. Is Death used in place of Life for similar effects or is Death needed in a conjunctive casting? And what about Matter and vampires? Can that Arcanum affect their undead bodies by itself, or is Death also needed to bridge a gap? A: I need to have a chat with Will again about this topic, but back when we did the initial design, the idea was that you would need Death as a conjunctional Arcanum to cast spells that directly alter a vampire's Pattern. That doesn't mean you need Death to hit a vampire with a Forces 4 Thunderbolt, or to mind control one with Mind. It does mean, though, that if you wanted to use Life to alter a vampire's Size, you'd need to add some Death (at least 2, maybe more if a Death spell's effect is also called for, although that might need a combined casting). It's such a broad category, it's tough to give a list of every use; it's ultimately the Storyteller's call. One rule of thumb: If the spell affects the vampire's powers or Vitae, it definitately needs a Death component. In other words, if it affects the undead state or condition, you need Death. Fate Q: Does Conditional Duration allow a Life spell pseudo indefinate duration? As an example, the Beauty and the Beast curse (you will be ugly until you find true love). A: If the bonus Duration factors you gain due to the Conditional casting bump you up to indefinite Duration, then yes. Otherwise, no (unless you add factors manually). Of course, you have to be able to use the advanced prolongation factors first (a Conditional casting doesn't improve that chart). You're example of finding true love is either Improbable (+1 factor) or Infrequent (+2 factors), depending on what type of game you're playing in. Q: Now it is a given that you cannot make indefinite duration spells on living things except through the use of the Fate Arcanum. The confusion arises between a friend and myself in that they believe that it can only be used as a Fate only spell as inferred in the sidebar on p. 148 where I contend that it can be used as a conjunctional spell that only needs Fate 2 to set the condition. As inferred in the sidebar on p. 150 detailing conditional spells. Since theythere is no express example of a conjunctional spell as an example the confusion arises. A: Fate cannot be used conjunctionally to allow another type of spell to have an indefinite Duration on a living Pattern. Sorry. Archmastery (6+ dots) might allow you to cast indefinite spells on living Patterns, though. (( Possibly conflicting statements? )) Forces Q: One of the rotes allows for lightning to be called from the sky as bashing damage. I assume then that the mage has control over fire at this level as well? If so, according to the main WoD book, fire is lethal damage to mortals yet you can only do bashing damage with 3 ranks in an Arcana? A: With Forces 3, a mage can control an existing flame, but he can't create it from thin air or cause something to ignite without an existing spark. Fire in the Storytelling system does lethal damage. Electricity does bashing damage; it tends to kill you not with an instant jolt but with massive voltage or continued exposure turn by turn. With higher levels, when you start creating these forces from nothing, they're lethal. Q: Do any of the shielding or related spells permit an effect that would turn lethal firearm damage to bashing akin to the "bulletproof" kevlar vest or flak jacket, other than actually turning a character's clothes to kevlar with the matter arcanum? A: Yes, and I almost added such a spell, but there were so many already. It'd probably be Forces 3 (to spread the kinetic impact differently), but Matter could create a kevlar-like material that provides the same benefit. Just to show an example of my reasoning, it'd be Forces 3 as a sort of advanced form of Forces 2 "Kinetic Blow". That spell lets you affect your own blows; this spell lets you affect others' blows directed at you. Alternatively, you can look at it as an advanced application of the kind of kinetic armor provided with "Unseen Shield". However, I'd let it only work against one blow per success rolled on the casting, after which the spell expires (or it expires within an hour, whichever comes first). Q: What dice pool might you use for such a rote? A: I'd probably use Science as the Skill. The Attribute will vary depending on who made the rote. Q: What is the official algorithm calculation for the speed of the Forces 5 flight spell? A: Each success adds one to the max Speed, to which the mage's Gnosis is also applied. Q: Are the rules for combining spells really supposed to be as nitpicky as to imply that slowing down and turning a bullet are two separate effects? A: Yes. This does make it harder to, for instance, slow and turn a bullet, but doing either is still a rather nice feat (vampires can't do it). Mage the Awakening is not meant to be as powerful as Ascension was, at least not at dot levels 1-5. Q: Why is Control Fire a covert spell while Control Light is vulgar? They're under the same Practices, and the only difference I can see is that the latter describes an improbable example in its description. A: I assume you mean Influence Fire. That spell, along with Influence Electricity both involve doing things to fire and electricity that can't normally happen without a good cause. However, play balance issues aside, I can see arguments for making them covert, although highly susceptible to Improbability should they be witnessed. Q: The thing is, that seems counter-intuitive to me, especially since we have spells like Shape Liquid, which presumably allows me to shape that liquid into whatever shape I want and give it a Strength score with which to moves things. According to the example of combining spells, this would be multiple effects. Why can't I simply use that as a model and create a telekinesis spel (Shape Kinetic Energy?) that allows me to "grab" a bullet and accomplish both a slowing and turning effect at once? Perhaps this could be gotten around by adding more requirements? An Attribute+Skill roll during the duration of the spell to accomplish what is, presumably, a more complicated effect? A: Ultimately, game balance comes into play here. It isn't elegant to step outside in-setting reasons for why magic does what it does (but magic is a Mystery anyway), but fitting magic into a game system inevitably leads to some sticky areas. If you think these two distinct effects really aren't distinct enough, then feel free to alter the spell description and allow Potency to be spread among both with a single, non-combined casting. Q: Does Thunderbolt have some kind of redeeming factor that actually makes it more valuable than a level four Telekinetic Strike? What does it take to conjure from nothing the kind of thunderbolts that Call Lightning uses? A: If a target is especially vulnerable to electrical attacks, then Thunderbolt would be better than Telekinetic Strike. It looks cooler, too. As for Call Lightning without the proper weather... maybe 5 dots, but definately vulgar. Q: What level would the Force of magnetism be? Equivilant to electricity? A: Because of it's extreme usefulness, I'd give roughly the same scale as Electricity and Fire, but at different dot ranks: Influence at 3 dots, Control at 4 dots and Mastery at 5 dots. Life Q: What is the system for using the level 5 Life Rote "Hereditary Change"? The spell indicates that it is cast in combination with other life spells. Therefore, wouldn't a character need archmastery of life in order to actually use the spell? A: Well, I should have added the coda: "This is an exception to the normal rules for combining spells." That is, you don't need Life 6 to combine other spells with this one, because its main effect requires it. Q: Why are retruning Limbs a Temporary effect when at life 5 we can shape change someone into a frog permanetly? Yet we can't bring a Limb back that use to be a part of the body? And it also counts as a spell-effect on a person? Doesn't this seem abit harsh and out of character? Aren't there many examples of Sorceors in fiction and whatnot giving back Limbs and eyesight and curing parapalegics and the like? A: This spell illustrates how magic is not as powerful in the modern world as mages claim it once was, and as legend seems to suggest. Mages say that magic that now requires archmastery used to only require mastery or even adeptship. And note that you can't shapechange someone permanently with Life 5 -- you need Life 6 for the advanced prolongation factors that allow for indefinite Duration. Q: Under life 3 a mage can give himself features from a base or median life form (gills, cats eyes etc). So could a mage use this rote in an extended casting to give himself the regenerative capabilities of a creature such as a starfish? Of course, it might take a couple of months, or multiple castings of the spell to regenerate a limb. But natural healing of this sort (assuming you keep the regrowing limb out of the view of sleepers) should be a fairly permanent augmentation. A: I suppose it's possible, but as you said, it'd take time and long castings probably. Starfish don't regenerate like werewolves, with any significant speed. Matter Q: Are there any other 'lasting' changes other than durability increase that can be performed to items? I am planning on having an articifer in our game and would like to be clear on some of the rules. A: If the Storyteller allows them, yes. But be careful here. I wouldn't allow lasting changes that significantly alter the function of an item, even a +1 equipment bonus. Durability helps an item to keep from breaking, but it doesn't change its basic function. Q: I was wondering about some of the Matter spells. There is a level 4 rote that increases the equipment bonus for complex machinery. Is this the same rote used for swords and other 'simple tools' and does it have the dame duration (one scene), meaning that you have to have Matter +1 for prolonged duration? A: Yes, I can imagine a Matter 4 spell that adds equipment bonus dice to simple tools. Note, however, that the default duration for the Alter Efficiency spell is prolonged, which means it lasts for one scene or one hour. You'd need Matter 5 to use the advanced prolongation factors. Q: In the Matter arcana, most of the rotes require being able to physically touch an item you're casting a rote on in order to affect it. However, in the Steel Windows Matter 3 rote, it mentions that you can affect an item with tools, implying that you can affect it so long as something you're touching is touching what you're casting the spell on. Is this the case for all rotes, or just a unique thing for Steel Windows? A: It's a unique exception, although you can certainly create new spells with the same exception, if the Storyteller thinks it fits. Otherwise, you need one dot higher proficiency to cast at sensory range. Spirit Q: "Touch of the Grave" (Death 2) and "Gossamer Touch" (Spirit 2) both allow you to interact with ghosts and spirits (respectively) on an physical level. "Touch of the Grave" states "The caster cannot damage ghosts", while "Gossamer Touch" reads, ""whether to offer a friendly touch or a closed fist". These spells seem very similiar and the Spirit version seems to suggest that you can strike spirits, although the magic itself cannot harm them. Is that correct and if so, is "Touch of the Grave" the same, allowing you to strike ghosts, but not harm them with magic? Finally, if the above are correct, can weapons and "physical magic" (such as "Thunderbolt") be used with those spells? A: Using those spells, the mage can use his own natural weaponry (fist, kicks, bite) to harm spirits, but the spells do not allow a magical assault by themselves. You can combine them with other spells that do cause harm, however. can't use a knife or a gun without using a spell like Rouse Spirit, to give it an ephemeral presence. Q: Why does Spirit affect ghosts with "Exorcism", yet "Death" doesn't? Wouldn't it be more appropriate for Death and Spirit to affect ghosts and spirits, respectively? It's the concept that's difficult. A: Because exorcism is a purview of the Spirit Arcanum, mainly because it's what shamans traditionally do the world over. The Spirit mage can't really do anything to the ghost except make it leave a vessel it doesn't belong in. Q: Why can you sculpt inanimate ephemera with Death, but not Spirit? Again, a question of theme and concept. A: Spirit is sort of like living ephemera, so many of things that the Arcanum does to spirits (binding, creating fetishes, Shape Spirit, etc.) are the equivalent. In a sense, Death is kind of like a Matter Arcanum for ephemera, while Spirit is kind of like a Life Arcanum for ephemera. C: Atlantean cosmology doesn't see ghosts as alive; there are ephemeral shells left behind by souls. Their animation can be seen sort of like a clockwork mechanism that refuses to wind down. They are, as far as Awakened magic is concerned, "objects." Q: Does the level 5 Spirit rote "Shape Spirit" use the Advanced Prolongation rules? In the example of the spell, Nine Jade Thunder creates a spirit with infinite duration. Wouldn't she need archmastery of spirit to use the advanced prolongation table? A: Yes, this was supposed to use the advanced prolongation charts. I thought we caught all the laggards in the text, but I guess at least two got past us, and surely more. So, expect errata eventually. Time Q: Is Chronos Curse (p 264) really supposed to be a rank 4 spell, or just rank 3? '' '''A:' It's rank 4. I think it was rank 3 at some point during development, but was bumped up for game balance reasons (mainly in light of crossover with Vampire and Werewolf). Matters of the Soul Q: The description of the Death 4 spell Soul Binding (page 144) says a mage can use it to attach a stolen soul to himself, provided he has no soul at the time. However, elsewhere the book says a mage without a soul can't cast spells. What's up with that? A: Ah, yes, a descrepancy in design from when Tremere were not just a legacy. I've been thinking that I need to add a grace period to the soul loss rules, giving mages a slower degradation of powers rather than just instant Sleep. This discrepancy convinces me that I need to make that official. I'd say offhand that a mage who loses his soul loses 1 dot of Gnosis per 24 hours until he has zero, in which case he is a Sleeper until he gets his soul back. He can continue to cast magic as long as he has at least one dot of Gnosis. Of course, the Soul Binding spell could be imbued into an item, allowing a souless mage or Sleeper to cast it and attach a new soul to himself. Q: Under the new rule, does a mage start to lose Wisdom right away, or not until his Gnosis reaches zero? A: He'd lose both Wisdom and Gnosis concurrently. Demesnes Q: Is there some way to make a permanent Demesne before your character is an archmaster? A: Yes. This was an artifact of changes made during the design process, and this spell didn't get updated. It's supposed to say that it used the advanced prolongation factors, even though it's 5 dots and there is no 4 dot version of the spell. Chapter 4: Storyline Antagonists Q: In cases where a permanently materialized familiar, without Power, Finesse, and Resistance traits, uses a Numen with a dice pool based on those traits, what does the familiar roll? A: Use the highest of its equivalent traits. Power traits are Strength, Intelligence and Presence; Finesse are Dexterity, Wits and Manipulation; Resistance are Stamina, Resolve and Composure. It's your call whether or not to allow a Skill to be added. Q: What rote is "Eagle Talon"? (Page 383, under "Life") A: Groan. That spell got cut, but I guess it's mention in that chapter didn't. It was a lower-level version of Life Force Assault (the AA Organic Knife rote). C: Atlantean cosmology doesn't see ghosts as alive; there are ephemeral shells left behind by souls. Their animation can be seen sort of like a clockwork mechanism that refuses to wind down. They are, as far as Awakened magic is concerned, "objects." Appendix 1: Legacies Appendix 2: Boston Q: Check the bottom of page 111, under "Mama Desta"; "The section of...all she could manage". The text seems chopped. Any ideas? A: A Boston Unveiled question. Looks like part of the line was cut off. It should read: "The section of Roxbury where Mama Desta lives now was much, much worse then than it is now, but it was all she could manage." Miscellaneous Ephemera Q: Speaking of the "ephemeral presence" of an object, can it be touched or attacked by Twilight beings? For example, could a ghost struggle the ephemeral presence of your roused baseball bat away and if so, what happens in both states of being? A: Something that has an ephemeral presence in Twilight can be affected by beings in the state of Twilight. Something with a presence in the Shadow Realm can be affected by beings in the Shadow Realm.